Easter Island

Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. Easter Island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people.

Geography

Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. The nearest inhabited land (around 50 residents in 2013) is Pitcairn Island, 2,075 kilometres (1,289 mi) away; the nearest town with a population over 500 is Rikitea, on the island of Mangareva, 2,606 km (1,619 mi) away; the nearest continental point lies in central Chile, 3,512 kilometres (2,182 mi) away.

History

Easter Island was likely populated by Polynesians who navigated in canoes or catamarans from the Marquesas Islands, 3,200 km away, around 1200 AD. Subsequent waves of settlers arrived from Hawaii and Tahiti.

Moai

The island is famous for its stone statues, or moai, that were built by the Rapa Nui people. The moai were carved in relatively flat planes, the faces bearing proud but enigmatic expressions. The human figures would be outlined in the rock wall first, then chiseled out with stone tools.

Culture

The Rapa Nui people have been inhabitants of Easter Island since circa 300 to 1200 CE. Eastern Island's culture is Polynesian. Due to its extreme isolation, the island has maintained much of its traditional, pre-European contact, culture.

See also

• Rapa Nui people
• Polynesian Triangle
• Stone statues of Easter Island

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